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Discommendation
Discommendation is a legal penalty in the Klingon Empire in which an individual is ceremonially shunned: stripped of honor and severely reduced in social status with few rights in Klingon society. Ceremony The ceremony in which this punishment is meted out is simple. The highest-ranked Klingon crosses his or her arms in front of his or her chest, and turns his or her back on the recipient, while others follow suit one by one until almost all Klingons have their backs turned. The speed of this gesture varies, from formal ceremonies which are done slowly to summary punishments which can occur as quickly as the Klingons in judgment can move. ( ) Crossing the arms in front can also be used as a slur to remind a Klingon of his dishonor. ( ) Effects A discommendated Klingon becomes a pariah to Klingons everywhere. Other Klingons will often refuse to associate with him or her, and it is customary to refer to them as "that" (an object, rather than a person). ( ) However, dishonored Klingons do retain some basic rights, such as the right to demand vengeance for the life of a loved one. Despite being discommendated, Worf was admitted onto the and was able to challenge Duras to single combat after revealing that Ambassador K'Ehleyr, whom Duras had murdered, was Worf's mate. ( ) Restoration If a Klingon leader decides to restore a discommendated Klingon's honor, he ceremonially presents his personal dagger for the Klingon to grasp by the blade tightly enough to draw blood. With this gesture, the leader states :"I give you back your family honor. I give you back what was wrongfully taken from you. Let your name be spoken once again. You are ___________, son of _________________." Noteworthy examples There have been at least two occurrences reported. The first incident was when Worf's father was posthumously accused of treason and Worf came to the Klingon High Council to challenge that ruling. When Worf learned that the House of Duras was actually responsible, he accepted discommendation in order to prevent the scandal from sparking a civil war. When a civil war began of its own accord, Gowron was persuaded to restore Worf's honor. ( ) The second incident was when Quark was maneuvered into marrying Grilka, whose husband, Kozak, he had inadvertently killed. After Quark learned and revealed that D'Ghor had committed a serious case of fraud, the Klingon responded to the accusation by challenging him to a duel. Knowing that he was no match for D'Ghor in combat, he tried a bold stratagem. At the moment of the duel's commencement, he threw down his weapon and freely offered his life to his opponent noting that he could not prove his accusation in this manner. When D'Ghor was about to kill Quark, Gowron intervened and had him discommendated on the spot for the dishonorable act of attempting to kill an unresisting opponent. D'Ghor was exiled with a ruined social status, and Quark gained considerable admiration as an atypically courageous Ferengi. ( ) External link * Category:Ceremonies Category:Punishments